


Give Me Your Name

by freckledandspectacled



Series: Prompt Fills [4]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Engagement, Fluff, Gun Violence, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, Kissing, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Violence, Psychopaths In Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9044882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledandspectacled/pseuds/freckledandspectacled
Summary: Oswald is kidnapped while shopping incognito to buy an engagement ring for Edward.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from tumblr, but I kinda think of this as a prequel to my wedding fic series, almost.  
> "Oswald takes it upon himself to head to Gotham by himself to get a surprise gift for Ed. He does this in secret/incognito. Ends up getting into trouble (mugging/fight/hostage?) and Ed has to find him."

In hindsight, it probably was not the best idea to go searching for Ed’s Christmas gift alone, without telling anyone where he was going. He had taken precautions, of course. He had forgone the cane (thereby losing his weapon of choice), left the umbrella (a less effective weapon, certainly, but at least it was something), and dressed down considerably (he was still dressed fashionably, of course, just in more casual wear).

He wanted to shop without Ed snooping, and without any witnesses he could trick into revealing what Oswald had bought him. Oswald was still angry at Gabe for spilling the beans last year, but Ed was tricky and Gabe was easily manipulated. That meant no Ed, and no anyone-else, if he truly wanted this to be a surprise. Just Oswald and the streets of Gotham, window shopping in the “classier” part of town while he looked for something suitable for Edward. It had to be tasteful… Last year he had given him an expensive watch to replace the one Ed always wore, which had started to look a little worn-down. 

This year he was planning something a little bigger than a watch. In fact, he was planning a proposal. Which is why he gave Ed an indeterminate time for his arrival home that evening. Who knew how long it would take him to find the perfect ring, or to find the right artist to commission one? Let alone the design process, he might have to sit down with someone and give them the exact specifications if none of the rings he looked at were deemed suitable. So no one was expecting him back, or had any idea where he’d gone. Even worse than the fact that he had been grabbed off the street and thrown into a vehicle with a bag over his head, was that he still didn’t have a ring for Ed, or any idea where to get it. He’d been looking for _hours_.

It was silly of him, really, to expect to be able to go out in public and not be recognized. To expect that the scum of Gotham would not recognize the opportunity presented by the fact that he was rich, powerful, and unguarded. Defenseless, really.

So, now he’s tied to a chair in an indeterminate location. It’s quite cold and there is no natural light; he’s glad he bundled up before going out. 

By his estimate, it will be another half hour before Ed is alerted to Oswald’s absence when he doesn’t show up for dinner like he always does, maybe another five minutes before he starts to fret. Another five before he starts making calls, then interrogating the staff, and finally heading to the city to search for him. It won’t take long for Ed to find him, and he’ll certainly be faster than the GCPD, but the clues his captors left behind are slim and Ed has no leads. It won’t be easy and could take several hours.

If they want money from his own resources, then obviously they will contact Ed immediately for the ransom money. Of course, this would be rather stupid of them. If they tell Ed anything at all, not only will he find them, but money will be the least of their problems when they find themselves very, very dead. Oswald wrings his hands in his bonds again. 

No, if he were to pull something like this, it would be best to contact one of his enemies. They might get less money, sure, but there would certainly be no attempt to rescue Oswald.

He knows he’s not already among his enemies, or he would be dead. So that’s out.

If they went to Ed for the ransom, he should be here soon. If they went to his enemies for the ransom, they’ll be here soon. Not only that, but they’ll have an at least an hour head start over Ed. He is, to put it mildly, in deep shit.

Depending on which of his many enemies they contact to collect him, there are several different strategies he can use to either stall, or get them to spare his life, for as long as it takes Ed to get here. As he waits, he makes contingency plans in his mind. He makes note of which areas he has pull in, what that this person or that person lacks, who he can do what for, and what weaknesses he can appeal to. He forms a list in his mind of his assets: which he’s willing to bargain away in all reality, and which through a bold-faced lie.

It would narrow his list down if he knew the people his abductors were in contact with, and therefore which ass in particular they were trying to kiss (with due compensation, of course). Unfortunately, he doesn’t have that luxury, and he refreshes his memory regarding each and every one of his enemies while he waits.

Oswald hears footsteps at long last, and when he sees who’s leading the pack, he’s underwhelmed. He recognizes a few of the Ibanescu, and he’s almost disappointed. It’s his vanity talking, but he’s worth more than this. The Ibanescu are small players: animal fights, human trafficking, prostitution. Nowhere near the big boys. But Oswald had probably been on the edges of their territory, he realizes, shopping in the East End. That’s why they, of all the families, had the people who had grabbed him. If he hadn’t been alone, those thugs wouldn’t have had a chance.

In a way, he’s also disappointed in himself for letting the little fish get a hold of him like this. They have plenty of reason to hate him, though. Oswald has been cutting into everyone’s business, and the tentative hold the Ibanescu had been cultivating in trade had been shattered by his boys. Oswald had moved in before they could secure their assets and made them his own. He was planning to take more, too. Eventually, they wouldn’t even exist. That’s how the game was played. He somehow doubted that they would appreciate that, though. 

The worst thing about them being small fish is that Oswald never cared enough to look into the details of their dealings, their weaknesses. They had never been worth dealing with, only stepping on. He has very little information to work with, which means he has very little to stall with.

“Well, it’s good to see you, Ibanescu,” he begins, addressing the man who had taken the center position as they entered. He doesn’t know his name, but he knows his family. “I’m sure you realize-”

He’s interrupted by a heavy fist to the face. No chatting then, great. He hates the Romanians; horrible conversationalists. This also presents a dilemma when it comes to exactly how he plans to stall them.

Gunshots ring out, and when Oswald finds himself very much alive, he realizes the cavalry has come. _That was fast_. Unless a rival had gotten wind of his capture and decided to risk moving in to take him for themselves, which was a possibility. He was worth more than the Ibanescu, after all.

Only two men in the room draw weapons, clearly this was their turf. The head honchos had probably left their guards outside. It was only supposed to be them versus a very much tied up Penguin, after all. They had no need of an army.

When Zsasz rounds the corner and enters the room firing, Oswald smirks. Yeah, they would have needed an army. Looks like it was the cavalry after all. Ed had worked very quickly, he shouldn’t have even been concerned about Oswald’s absence for another fifteen minutes or so. Perhaps a member of the Ibanescu had sold them out to get on either his or Ed’s good side. He’ll have to inquire later about the details of the rescue mission.

Oswald watches Zsasz take out the two armed men in seconds, then cleanly execute the remaining parties without incident. Ed rounds the corner, and Oswald feels his face light up at the sight of him.

It turns from joy to shock in a moment. Ed is grimacing in pain, clutching his side. One of his more capable spies, a woman with short black hair whose name Oswald cannot recall, supports him as they walk into the room.

“Ed?” he calls, worry evident in his tone. _Let him be okay, please_. Blood spatters the front of his shirt; Oswald hopes it isn’t his. Ed’s head snaps up when he hears Oswald’s voice, and he runs to him, leaving Zsasz and the spy behind.

“Oswald! Oh-oh dear. Are you alright?” Ed asks, falling to his knees and then taking out his pocket knife. It’s freshly bloodied, and he sets about cutting Oswald free.

“Me? Ed, what happened to _you_?” Oswald shouts in disbelief.

“It’s fine, a flesh wound, he didn’t hit anything important.”

“Is he dead?” Oswald snarls.

“Yes, Oswald. He got the drop on me, but I was faster. Of course, he still managed something,” he says, wincing as he turns and cuts the last tie. Oswald waits for him to close the knife, watching Ed’s hands shake. When it snicks shut, he launches himself from the chair and into Ed’s arms. The knife clatters to the floor and spins off, forgotten.

Oswald tears at his shirt, pulling it up to reveal the wound. It’s nasty looking, deep, and probably painful. But it’s superficial. The blood spattered across his chest is most certainly from the other guy. Oswald gasps in relief. Ed runs his thumb over the small cut on Oswald’s cheek so gently Oswald almost isn’t sure he feels it. Ed’s hand is trembling, still.

“How did you find me?” Oswald asks, unable to resist.

“Nina was tailing the Ibanescu. You know how we’ve been planning to cut them out of the picture, remove the middleman, as we often do. She was gathering intelligence for us, reporting to me. She’s been focusing her efforts on the heads of the organization. Nina almost didn’t believe it when she heard some street thug report to the guys in charge that they had caught you. She called me to make sure it wasn’t really you, and I told her to stay on them in the meantime, wherever they went. I called you, and when you didn’t answer….” Ed tears up, and Oswald pulls him into a tight hug.

“I thought I was going to be too late. I’ve never been more scared in my life. I didn’t even bother rounding anyone up, just grabbed Zsasz and got in the car. I called Nina back to find out where they had gone, told her you hadn’t picked up. They were still driving, but I knew it wouldn’t take them long to hurt you, especially if they had caught wind of our plans… Oh, Ozzie, I was so scared. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Ed’s hold on him tightens, Oswald can feel the sobs he is holding back wracking his body. 

“Ed, I’m so sorry. It was stupid of me, I shouldn’t have gone alone-” Ed pulls out of the hug, seizing him by the shoulders.

“No, you shouldn’t have! What were you thinking?”

“I was getting a gift for you,” Ed doesn’t need to know what, “I wanted it to be a surprise, and I didn’t want you to be able to trick it out of anyone like you did last year.”

“Ozzie, you’re so much more important to me than any gift you could possibly have gotten. Please don’t ever do this to me again,” Ed whispers, and the tears that have been building in his eyes flow freely down his face at the admission.

“I promise, Eddie. I promise.” They hug again, embracing for several long moments before Oswald starts to chuckle.

“What?” Ed says. The tears on his face have dried, but his eyes are red-rimmed. 

“I never even got your gift,” Oswald laments.

“You’ve given me everything, Oswald,” he pauses. “Well, almost everything.” 

“What do you mean?” Oswald asks. Has he been neglecting Ed somehow? Is that why he’s acting so emotional?

“You’ve shared your home with me, your meals, your company, your… self,” he tacks on, blushing. “There’s only one other thing you can give me that I want, more than anything.”

“What is it?” he asks. Anything, he’d give anything to this man.

“I’m- I’m doing this all wrong,” Ed says, panicking.

“Tell me. I love you, Eddie; tell me. What should I give you?”

“Your name.” _What_? Oswald doesn’t understand. 

Ed continues, disjointed, “I can’t believe I’m doing this here. Now. I had a plan- I- I don’t even have a _ring_ -”

“A _ring_?” Oswald asks, his voice cracking.

“Yes, a ring. I- I was going to ask- Oh dear.” Ed pauses, taking a deep breath. He takes Oswald’s hands into his, then looks into his eyes. There- sprawled on a dirty floor in a forgotten building in the twice-damned city of Gotham- there is where Ed asks him the question.

“Will you marry me, Oswald Cobblepot?” Oswald gapes.

“You utter _bastard_ ,” he hisses. Ed stutters, but no words form. He tries to let go of Oswald’s hands and move away. Oswald tightens his grip on Ed’s hands, pulling him back. Ed looks up at him again, confusion written all over his face.

“I was going to buy you a ring today,” Oswald says, letting that be his answer. Realization dawns on Ed’s face, and his eyes light up.

“You- you were going to buy me a- Ozzie, does this mean-”

“Yes,” he says, “Yes, Edward Nygma, I will marry you.” He lets go of Ed’s hands and pulls him in for a kiss, cupping his face. Nina and Zsasz’s cheers echo in the room, and they clap furiously. 

They pull apart, smiling, tears in their eyes.

Oswald picks up Ed’s left hand in his, running his index finger over the place on Ed’s ring finger where his engagement ring should be.

“I’m still buying you a ring,” Oswald says, determined.

“I’ll help you pick it out when we go to buy yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Tell me! I live for comments.


End file.
